Archetypes: Jester

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You only live once, and life’s not worth living without a little fun.

In fact, if you happen to be the Jester, present-minded joy is your first and primary concern. As a Jungian archetype, the Jester takes a break from the often romantic or courageous ideals of his cousins, displaying a masterful use of humor to reveal, heal – even hide – the deepest recesses of human trauma and subconscious.

As I have mentioned in prior posts of this series, this collection of posts deals with the archetypes first put forth by psychiatrist Carl Jung, and the use of these archetypes in fiction. Every post deals with the motivations, character profiles, and Shadows (or negatives) of each archetype. This week dives into the last group of Archetypes, the Self Types, which are defined by goals related to independent desires for development, power, or life. The Jester, whose main desire it to stay fully, happily “in the moment,” is today’s selection.

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THE TWELVE ARCHETYPES

 The Jester

Jester archetype joker practical joker

Also known as the clown, trickster, comedian, practical joker or the fool, the Jester is an archetype that is at peace with the paradoxes of the world. He uses humor to illuminate hypocrisy, and also level the playing field between those of power and those without.

The Jester is a fun-loving character who seeks the now, inviting others to partake in creating a self-depreciating form of satire. The Jester is also almost always male, though this may be more from the cultural gendering of humor more than a limitation on the archetype itself. The Jester excels at projecting infectious joy, letting go, and banishing depression or aggression from their friends and enemies. They strive for light-heartedness and carefree living.

A moot life is a Jester’s worst nightmare. In some cases, a Jester can also have a second “dragon,” which takes the form as humor being raised as a shield to deflect inquiries about personal trauma. Since fun and humor are requirements for a Jester’s lifestyle, periods of time where humor might be inappropriate make them uncomfortable, and maybe even willfully insensitive.

The Jester does not seek to solve the story’s problem. His main purpose on the journey is the journey itself. The outcome rarely matters to him, and in some cases, he may even be a bit of a devil’s advocate in the interest of spicing things up. The Jester does not reminisce, or plan for the future. In his darker, shadow form, the Jester may be prone to constant inebriation, or drug abuse. These vices could also manifest as a pervert, or any other negative trait defined by a lack of impulse control.

Unlike some of the other archetypes, there is also a secondary, split framework for this archetype in fiction. The Jester is sometimes cast as the comic relief (often the best friend to the lead character). The main difference between the Jester-as-Jungian and Jester-as-Comic-Relief is that the latter does not know he is the Jester. Comic reliefs are built as humorous foils for the audience, yet still often show the same characteristics of the classic Jungian archetype.

EXAMPLES

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Fat Amy is a fascinating character in that she flips the stereotype of fat = insecure on its head, while laughingly pointing out the often hypocritical standards of the acapella culture she takes part in. However, her humor becomes a barbed shield to those who try to get closer to her (such as the rival acapella group leader).
There are a lot of serious, heavy things going on in Kamala Khan’s life, like getting into arguments with her family, alienating her friends, and, oh yeah, super powers, but it’s hard to find a single frame where Kamala isn’t issuing a wisecrack. Aware of her humor being a defense mechanism, but still unable to help herself, that humor, in the end, aids her in gaining new allies and soothing strained relationships.
It’s hard to make a list of Jesters and not include Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice takes the Jester archetype to the extreme — as he is already dead and is willing to do anything to get back with the living, Beetlejuice adopts a cavalier, often perverted, and definitely inebriated approach to seeking “aliveness” once more.
Austin Powers is a good example of a Jester used in the secondary capacity. Austin believes himself sexy and suave, but of course the audience knows better. As a main character, you can see how goal-related plots might be ill-suited; Austin is often distracted, and the strength of the story comes solely from its satire.
Talk about a devil’s advocate! Leslie Chow is a gangster, and delights in creating chaos for those that consider him a friend. Not above leaving those “friends” out high and dry, Leslie often observes from afar the havoc his actions have wrought, yet shows no remorse, or even a sense of wrong-doing. For Leslie, it is all about the now, now, now.
While Disney has its fair share of jesters (Goofy, Mushu and Lumiere, to name a few), the most memorable of them all has probably got to be Genie, from the Aladdin trilogy and TV show. “Infinite, cosmic power…. and an itty bitty living space” remains one of the first film’s most memorable, and concise conflicts, and Genie’s humor, as well as his guidance toward Aladdin, showing the street rat how to live in the now with what he has, VS what he may never receive, eventually earn him his freedom.
You wouldn’t know tornadoes were a deadly force with the way Dusty goes on about them. While Dusty shows human emotion (particularly fear) towards the end of the film, it remains that the “ride” was what it was always about. That and Aunt May’s cooking.
Taking a long trip into deep space for a long shot at rescuing humanity is no easy thing, and for the crew in Interstellar, mental breakdowns are a very real concern. TARS, one of the robot interfaces designed to assist the human pilots, is programmed with a snarky sense of humor, no doubt a crucial element to the crew’s actual psychological health.
Yes, Joker from the same franchise probably should have made my list, but I personally find Harley more compelling, and her motivations are more in line with this archetype (over Joker’s more “Outlaw” leanings). Harley has lived a hard life, and her relationship with Joker is an abusive one – yet, Harley keeps a smile and joke on her lips like war paint, never letting her guard down, perhaps in fear of her own weakness. For Harley, it is easier to strive to be in the moment than to reflect on the vicious cause and effect cycle she has allowed herself to fall into.
The Weasley Twins hardly need an introduction from me. Their shenanigans are known in our world as well as they are in the world of Harry Potter. And they embody this archetype to a ‘T.’ Fred and George refuse to live a normal day, creating mischief, infectious joy, and light-heartedness wherever they go.
You have to feel pretty sorry for C3P0; designed as no more than a translator droid, C3P0 becomes the brunt of every joke in every language throughout the arcs of the series he is a part of. Definitely more “fool” than “jester,” C3P0 illuminates the bizarre behaviors of people and aliens alike, and we all love him for it.
Meriadock Brandybuck and Peregrin “Fool” Took are about as lighthearted as you can get. Their journey with Frodo is more about being with Frodo than destroying the ring ––and
Roger Zelazny’s classic metaphysical science fiction universe has its fair share of archetypes, but perhaps the most curious twist is Jester as Ruler. (SPOILERS) There is a theme in premodern uses of the archetype (in royal court stories, for example) to cast the Jester as the wisest character, a foil to the foolish king. Random is no exception, and in the arms race to the throne, his attitude of ‘I’ve got no chance so I might as well enjoy myself’ allows him to surpass all of his siblings.
A man with a horribly dark past, Gambit (aka Remy LeBeau) would rather not think about the Thieves Guild, his ex-wife Belladonna, or the fact that he unwittingly took part in the Mutant Massacre as lead man. So, humor is his coat of armor, disarming friend and foe alike to not look that much deeper. (Also notice the motif of the Jester as Ruler in this image).
Nothing takes you further from living than being a skeleton in a catacomb. Skeleton is so desperate to feel the warmth of life again that he can be tricked by a magician into believing air is wine. Though once a king, he is very clearly now a Jester, forcing those who wish to enter the door he guards to play riddle games with him.

Recommended Reading:

Other Posts in this Series:

Archetypes-Innocent
Archetypes-everyperson
Archetypes-Hero
Archetypes-Caregiver
Creator Archetype Inventor Jung
Archetypes-Outlaw
Archetypes-Explorer
Archetypes-THELOVER
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28 thoughts on “Archetypes: Jester”

  2. So I have to ask — Do you consider the Jester and the Trickster to be the same or similar archetypes? I always think of the Trickster has having a slight dark side, like Anansi or Loki. Even Odysseus as Trickster incarnate had some darkness. My favorite trickster, though, still Puck from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

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    1. I think Trickster might be a straddle between Magician and Jester; depends on their purpose! Great question though, and one I’ll have to ponder. I guess it we make it simplified by saying those that trick through magic should be magicians, then I think Loki would be, for example, in another archetype. Maybe I’d lean toward Magician with him, anyway, because he has an end goal in mind, and I’m not sure it’s to simply be happy in the present. I’ll have to see when I write up that archetype!

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  3. One of my favorite archetypes, Alex, although I don’t think I’ve explored creating too many of the characters within my personal writing, I am a fan of coming across them in films or other people’s books. I think Dori in Finding Nemo is probably one of the most appealing jester type characters I’ve yet to come across. She fits within so many of the descriptions you’ve provided. God, how I’d love to create a Dori character one day.
    Loved this addition to the series, Alex. It’s definitely been one of my favorite progressions of posts. And wholly timely as well, as I’m nose deep in new novel writing and can use all the wonderful resources I can get my hands on.
    This one’s bookmarked in bold letters.
    😀

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    1. I don’t know, I think Opal might be a shadow Jester! At least in the beginning of the book. 🙂

      I originally put Dory in my Innocent archetype post, but I can see how she could be a Jester, too. It’s really fun when you finds a character that straddles the line between two or three archetypes. 🙂

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  4. Learning about character types through reading your descriptions and examples of archetypes is fun and informative for me. I am not a writer but rather a reader, and this gives me a more in depth perspective on characters and why they are even in the story. Thanks!

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    1. That’s wonderful to hear, Marilyn! It makes me happy to know that the series is useful even for people that aren’t writers. 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Melissa! It is one of those personality types that is often overlooked, maybe because it’s difficult to place them in a modern story (where writers are encouraged to “cut the fat” of anything or anyone not moving the plot forward. Since Jesters don’t want to do much of anything except enjoy the moment, that’s kind of obstructive!)

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  6. Ahhhh, the Weasley twins! And Pippin and Merry! Though it’s interesting that you listed both Hobbits, because they’re also quite different. Pippin’s more naive, flighty, and curious, which often gets him into trouble. Merry’s a little wiser about the world and (usually) more serious. But together, they both know how to have fun. Bilbo’s 111th birthday party, anyone? 🙂

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    1. Yes, I had to list them together, because they sort of become the same character for the first few arcs of the book, until they are separated. The nice thing about these archetypes though is that they are fluid… you can start as one and end up as another!

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    1. Buffy! She would have been a great addition. Wonderful choice. She just wants to enjoy life and all those ‘freaking vampires’ keep getting in the way of that. Also, it’s quite slapstick, in true Whedon-fashion. 🙂

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    1. He could be. I think of C3P0 as the jester over R2D2 because R2D2 is usually serious and helpful, if snarky. Meanwhile C3P0 was a “translator” but also often put into t he position of a traditional Jester, as with Jabba the Hut.

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  12. I love this series of yours. Archetypes are the juice of storytelling 🙂

    I like the Jester, though I think this is one of the hardest archetypes to work with. Very easy to make them superficial, which is easy to slip in when you think this character doesn’t seem to have a goal or a past.
    I suppose the trick is having them knowing the present very well and seeing in it more than the other characters do.

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    1. That’s definitely a good way to use them. Characters who use the present can also slow down a story that it barreling through things too quickly, and force the reader to also take a moment to “process” or get to know a character better before the next turn of plot (which is probably why so many Jester characters end up dying before the third act…. emotional investment!)

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  15. Nice job, super informative! I’m from near Vancouver but living in Montreal It’s always crazy relating archetypes to your life and realizing how grounded they are in the human experience.

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